Softball: Methacton routs Pottstown, 16-0

WORCESTER — To say that not much went wrong for Methacton softball faithful on Wednesday afternoon would be a bit of an understatement.

The Warriors no-hit Pottstown behind Jordan Prutzer and Megan Stauffer’s combined efforts and threw 16 runs on the board, ending the game after less than four full innings with a lopsided 16-0 score.

After the first inning, it seemed like Methacton was in for more of a fight than the final score suggested. Pottstown pitcher Miranda Swinehart retired the Warriors in five batters, giving up only one run.

That’s essentially where the positives ended for the Trojans.

In the subsequent two-and-change innings, the Warriors put seven, four, and four runs on the board, respectively, quickly dispatching any Pottstown hopes.

“They needed to relax and start seeing the pitches,” long-time Warrior coach Cathy Miller said after the game. “They needed to time it, and look for their pitches in the zone. As soon as you bring the ball up against a team that can hit, I knew that (their offensive outburst) would happen.”

“That’s how we start most games,” Pottstown coach Dot McCrone said. “We do okay in the first inning and then we just kind of lose it. They get used to the pitching, and they start (hitting).”

“They’re learning, they’re improving,” McCrone said of her Trojans. “Every day they get a little bit better with something, so you can’t ask for much more than that.”

McCrone highlighted Kelly O’Donnell’s performance in left field. Receiving a lot of traffic from the heavily right-handed Methacton line-up, O’Donnell recorded three putouts on sharply hit balls.

Finally healthy after being out for two seasons with knee injuries, Prutzer was sublime in today’s effort, striking out seven of the nine she faced.

“It feels really good to be back,” Prutzer said. “I love playing with these girls.”

“I knew Jordan would hold them, because she’s been throwing well against everybody,” Miller said.

Prutzer also did well with the bat, going 2-2 with a pair of singles before giving way to Stauffer heading into the fourth.

The rest of Methacton’s bats were firing on all cylinders. The Warriors’ fourth and fifth hitters did exactly what four and five-hole hitters are supposed to do, as Rachel Picozzi and Sarah Rambo each hit a home run, driving in nine runs combined behind a collective 4-6 performance.

The rest of the Warriors tallied nine other hits, four of which came off the bat of leadoff hitter Amanda Kulp. Kulp came around to score each time she reached. Allie Parente also got in on the round-tripping fun, hitting the first of Methacton’s three home runs.

Megan Stauffer’s performance in relief of Prutzer was solid, as she retired all three batters she faced while striking out one.

“My game plan was to be able to get the kids in who’ve been sitting on the bench, because I don’t normally sub,” Miller said. “Stauffer, a freshman, came in and did a nice job. It was nice to get those kids in.”